What if   ?
by Soreiyu-Hakumei
Summary: A girl with aburn hair just returns from soul society, when a strange man with pale skin and black hair appears in front of her. The request he gives her is more than terrifying.
1. Prologue

What if ...

The sun started to set in Karakura-Town. A few red shreds of clouds drifted across the sky and the windows were gleaming in the evening sun. The streets were quiet, but here and there an animal darted through the woods, getting ready for the night.

The auburn haired girl pulled her jacket tighter around herself to shield herself from the cool wind that blew through the streets.

Autumn had arrived, the nights were cold and clear and the trees gradually lost their leaves. Abstractedly, she ran her hands over her tiny blue hair clips, which she was given by her brother a long time ago.

She had to think of how things came to be how there are now, how all of this had started, more than a year ago...Kurosaki-kun had met Kuchiki-san and became a Shinigami, and then everything happened so fast that she never really got time to think about it. It seemed so surreal all of a sudden, like a long, confusing dream from which she would not wake up, even as she finally got home now.

She had just come back from Soul Society, where she had trained with Kuchiki-san in order to become stronger, but she felt like she didn't improve at all. She would never be able to assist the others in fights, but would always be the one who needed to be protected.

As she thought of her friends she tried to remind herself of how the recent events must have afflicted all of them, and not only her. The fight against that cerulean haired arrancar came into her mind. Her stomach flipped over when she remembered how he had beaten up Kurosaki-kun. She couldn't help him. Not even with her puny healing abilities.

Her fingers clenched around her hair clips.

It steadily became harder for her to see herself as a respected member of their small group. She felt like she would always stand on the sidelines.

"Orihime, you dreamer" a high voice squeaked into her ear, "stop walking, we're there."

The noise caught her of guard. She had not noticed how her feet had carried her all the way to the front door of her house nor how one of her fairies had materialized. She stopped abruptly.

"Shun'ō! What are you doing? What if someone saw you?" She whispered, and quickly pulled the little creature under her jacket.

"Hey, Orihime! Let me out, you silly girl," the voice rose again from beneath her jacket, "no one can see me, remember?" Shun'ō kicked against Orihime's stomach in his attempt to free himself. The redhead suddenly giggled.

"I'm so sorry, Shun'ō! I always forget." She opened her jacket and the little fairy angrily shot out.

"I have a feeling that you're even more distracted that usually lately. What's wrong?", the small blonde fairy inquired, floating up and down in front of Orihime, hands on her hips and with an anxious look on her face.

"I...eh...", the auburn haired girl mumbled, "I'm just very worried lately ... "

"About whom?"

"You know very well who I mean... He does so much for me and the others. He always gets hurt because he needs to protect someone. And that someone is mostly me. He has voluntarily taken on the hard training with those shady guys, and I ... I am useless. I can never do anything, I will only need be protected. Everyone else is trying to become stronger. Even after training so hard with Kuchiki-san I didn't improve at all. "

Ashamed, she turned her gaze to the floor. Shun'ō laid her hands on Orihime cheeks and lifted her head.

"Come on, don't hang your pretty head little like that. You can do so much more than you expect. After all, you have us, your Shun Shun Rikka." The fairy smiled.

"You're not even aware of how important you are to your friends. They hold you dearer than it may seem. "

The little creature's smile would not falter, even as she directly looked into Orihime's big, sad eyes, which blinked, and then looked away. If only Orihime knew how right Shun'ō was, and that it wasn't only her friends that Orihime had a great value to.

Orihime started rummaging in her bag in search for the door key. She found it, put it in the lock and then suddenly stopped. Something dark seemed to approach her, sending a strange sensation down her spine. Startled, she looked around her and as her eyes fell upon an odd formation of clouds the sky suddenly tore open and within seconds there was a gaping black crack in the red and gold evening sky of Karakura. Orihime narrowed her eyes, while Shun'ō was hiding behind her back, squeaking anxiously. Slowly, almost cautiously, there was a figure emerging from the crack. Then, suddenly, the figure disappeared and then reappeared directly in front of Orihime.

Orihime's eyes widened. She could not move. The overwhelming reiatsu of the man who stood before her made her tremble.

Frightened, the auburn haired girl stared at the him. He was not much taller than her, had a slender, yet fairly muscular body, very pale skin and piercing emerald eyes. His jet-black hair was messy and some strands hung in his face, one of them parting at the bridge of his nose. She noticed that he was wearing something that looked like a broken helmet.

One of his hand clasped around her wrist that still held the key.

"Woman", she was surprised by the deep and calm voice of the man, "you will come with me", he told her. Her eyes widened. "Aizen-sama wants me to take you to him. He says he needs your abilities. "

Orihime gasped. Aizen? The guy in front of her was serving under Aizen, the man who had betrayed Soul Society and hurt so many of her friends? She tried to say something, but she was immediately cut off.

"Do not speak. You have no right to disagree or ask questions. I give you twelve hours. During that time, I give you permission to say goodbye to one person, and one person only. In twelve hours, I will be back here, and should you refuse to come with me or should the person to whom you have said goodbye get to know what you have done, be aware of the consequences. "

Suddenly it seemed as if Orihime and the man were surrounded by mist, the houses disappearing from their view. She noticed that he still held her wrist. Then the fog lifted and revealed a few pictures. Kurosaki-kun, Ishida-kun, Matsumoto-kun, Kuchiki-san. Her friends.

"This is not a request. It is an order." He removed his hand from her wrist.

"This bracelet hides your reiatsu. And no matter what, do not remove it."

Without another word he turned around and disappeared again. The fog lifted completely and Orihime was once more standing alone in front of her door, her whole body shaking. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground. Shun'ō had long returned into a part of her hair clips.

Sobbing, the auburn haired girl sat on the floor. With tear swollen eyes, she looked at the bracelet which sparkled innocently in the fading sunlight. She wanted to tear it off and throw away, and yet she did not dare to. Too great was her fear for her friends. Tears continued to drip onto the floor.

She didn't know how long she sat there, in front of her house. After an hour, or maybe it was only a few minutes, she stood up, rubbing her eyes. She had no choice, so she could just as well use the few hours she had left for doing what the arrancar had allowed her to do.

So in that same night, she went to the house of the one person whom she would say good-bye to, and her words still echoed eerily around his room as the sun began to rise: "It is my turn to protect you now. Please...don't come after me."


	2. Hueco Mundo, what is this?

She was standing outside the house, waiting for the pale skinned Arrancar to arrive. Her right hand was clasped around the bracelet on her left wrist, while she absentedly stared into the sky. It was 5 o' clock in the morning, and the sun hadn't even began to dawn, yet a flimsy yellow shine was looming over the horizon. It has been twelve hours now since the Arrancar had first arrived and told her that Aizen, the leader in the betrayal of Soul Society, had interest in her abilities. She still didn't understand why he would be interested in her power, because the only thing she could really do was to heal wounds. Neither could she fight properly nor could she defend anyone as good as she wished she could.

The streets, like the day before, were quiet and cold. Her hair streamed slightly in the faint autumn wind, and she shivered. If it was because of the cold or because of the fear about what was going to happen, she couldn't tell. Probably both.  
Then the sky suddenly opened up again and once more a giant black crack tore apart the cloud filled sky. They seemed to vanish as soon as they came near the gaping hole. Orihime had never noticed it before, but the portals the Arrancars used kind of resembled the hole every Hollow had. But that actually didn't matter now, did it? She must be losing her mind, wondering about such trivial things while she should pay attention to much more urgent ones.  
Her eyes focused on the white dressed Arrancar with the pale skin and his jet-black hair, who smoothly stepped out of the portal. Orihime tried to remember what this thing was actually called, but it wouldn't come to her mind, the fear and anticipation was too overwhelming. This time, the man slowly walked down something that seemed to be an invisible staircase. He was walking right towards her, a pleased and yet in a way expressionless look on his face. He seemed to never show emotions like anger or hate. Without knowing why, and merely recognizing it, her heart skipped a beat. The look on the pale Arrancar's face made the hair on her arms tingle. And she definitely didn't like that.

The staircase ended. He was standing in front of her.  
"Have you bid farewell to one of your friends?"  
"Yes...I did..."  
"Have you settled the things you had to?"  
"Y..yes", she was shaking.  
"Then come with me", he was putting forth his hand into her direction. She didn't know if she should take it but in the end, what options did she have? She lay her hand into his. Their palms touched and once again Orihime felt that strange sensation she had a moment before. His hands felt...week, almost fragile. They were skinnier than hers. But on the other hand they felt gentle and soft, as if they wouldn't dare to harm her. She tore her eyes away from his hand and let them travel across his chest, up to his collarbone. Her eyes widened as they fell upon the hole just below his neck. She wondered why she hadn't noticed it before. Her eyes traveled further, up to his face and emerald eyes. He still wore this undefinable look; calm, and without any emotion. He wasn't smiling, but he didn't look angry at her either.  
"Now just come with me, woman. Aizen-sama is awaiting your arrival", he said in his almost monotone voice.  
She slightly nodded, looking away. And then she cringed as he suddenly put his free arm around her shoulders. With a dull sound they vanished just to reappear in front of the crack again. He was still holding her hand.  
"Follow me. And don't get lost between the dimensions."  
"But I-"  
"Do not talk. You have no right to speak unless I say so."  
She stopped. What she was about to say was that she had already traveled a lot between the dimensions, even though it was only between the World of the Living and Soul Society. Where was he going to take her now? She had never heard about where the Hollows actually came from, and she couldn't imagine that they lived in Soul Society.

They entered the Dangai - Orihime suddenly remembered it's name - and started to walk into the black emptiness. She had been here several times before, but with the quiet Arrancar at her side it felt kind of awkward. As she remembered the first time they came here she felt new fear rising up and her throat went dry. They had all been chased by a giant monster, called Kototsu. She dreaded that it would come back and started to pick up speed without noticing it. And now that the Arrancar had let go of her hand she felt utterly alone.  
The man walking in front of her suddenly stopped and Orihime nearly collided with him.  
"Wha-"  
"I told you, you are not allowed to talk. Be quiet and calm down."  
Orihimes emotions slowly but surely started to turn from fear into anger. Why was he so objective against her? She cooperated and was a good girl and the only thing _he_ did was to offend her.  
No, she won't be shut up by this emotionless, cold person.  
Self confidently she reopened her mouth: "What is your name?"  
Slowly, he turned around, stopping what he was doing at the Dangai's wall.

"Did you say something, woman?"  
She wasn't really sure if she should repeat it.  
"...Yes. I asked what your name is."  
"Did I ask _your_ name?", he countered.  
"No, you didn't. But I would like...to know yours..."  
He narrowed his eyes and then turned around again, leaving the question unanswered and ignoring the woman's sigh.  
"Please, Mister Arrancar. If you won't answer I will take it as a permission for me to call you 'Mister Arrancar'". She silently smirked.  
The pale skinned Arrancar started to get irritated. He slowly circuited his temples with his fingers. Then he sighed, without the auburn haired girl noticing it.  
"Ulquiorra Cifer."

"Oh, what a strange, beautiful name! My friends call me O-"  
"As I said before: Did I ask your name?"  
She puffed out her cheeks. If it wouldn't be so dangerous to argue with him she would have crossed her arms and turned away from him, refusing to go any further. And with realizing that she settled with secretly sticking out her tongue at him. She begged inside that Ulquiorra wouldn't turn around and look at her. She looked around in anticipation, wondering about what was going to happen next, as suddenly the walls of the dimension between Karakura and wherever they were about to go cracked open.  
"Now come, Aizen-sama is waiting."  
With her cheeks still puffed out, but her tongue safely back in her mouth she followed Ulquiorra through the gate and entered a world completely new to her.

"By the way-", she started, looking at the white desert in front of her, her eyes wide.  
Ulquiorra turned around and glanced at her.  
"What?"  
He seemed to have given up to order her not to talk.  
"What is this place called?"  
"This is Hueco Mundo", was his short response.  
"Huecooo...Mundo? That sounds interesting. What exactly is this world?"  
"Can't you wait until we reach Las Noches?" Ulquiorra, who was usually the calm, and one could even say impassive type, seemed to be irritated by Orihime. And it was really hard to irritate the emerald-eyed Arrancar.  
"What exactly is a 'Las Noches'?" She tilted her head in confusion.  
Ulquiorra almost felt like rolling his eyes, but then just put his arm around her shoulders again and used his Sonido to take them to that "Las Noches" place.

Ulquiorra Cifer, Cuarto Espada and known for his cold attitude, really felt messed up. This woman was not as he imagined her to be, at least not judged by Lord Aizen's description.  
The man he obeyed may have told him that the auburn haired girl would follow him without resistance, which was indeed true, but he had not in any way mentioned that she was so distracting and irritating.

Ulquiorra stood at the back of a great hall. All Espada had arrived here after Lord Aizen had announced a meeting.  
Now he was sitting on his throne that was standing on a ridiculously high platform on the other end of the hall. On the right arm rest stood a cup of tea - Ulquiorra always wondered why humans had to eat so called food and drink fluid in order to prevent themselves from dying, and especially why Aizen imitated them - and beside it was Gin Ichimaru, smirking his characteristical smirk.  
Kaname Tōsen was standing on the left side of the throne, his arms folded across his chest, his blind gaze darting around the room.

"My dear Espada", Aizen called from his throne his head held high, "I called you because one of your companions just returned from his mission, successfully, as I expected. I know not everyone of you knows this feeling of success but that's not topic of this meeting."  
He was glancing towards a blue haired man with his most deprecatingly smile.  
The Arrancar who's left sleeve was flappily hanging from his shoulder, definitely _not_ filled wit the matching arm, wasn't looking at Aizen, unlike all other attendees.  
His chest and his back where bandaged and he had a grim look on his face.  
Orihime glanced at him. She knew him, she had seen him when he had fought with Ichigo.  
When she raised her head she saw a small, black haired person that was standing nearer to Aizen. He was just turning around showing his tongue to Grimmjow, the Arrancar with the blue hairs.  
"What happened to him?", Orihime asked herself while she was still staring at the spot where the Arrancar's arm should have been.

"Orihime Inoue, will you step forward. The other shall have the pleasure to get to know you, too", Aizen continued.  
Confused and a bit scared Orihime averted her gaze from the cut off arm and looked up to Aizen. His appearance had changed since he fled from Soul Society. He wasn't wearing neither his glasses and nor his captain Haori – why should he?- and his hair was completely combed back. Only a single strain was hanging in his face. It somehow gave Orihime an awkward feeling to be standing here in front of this man and he was talking to her so calm and somehow even friendly.  
She stepped forward waiting for him to continue.

In the background Ulquiorra was still standing, quietly. He kind of felt as if he was about to smirk but that simply was mimic emotion he never used. Inside he felt released. Now that he had brought this annoying girl to his master she would no longer be of his business. One of the many low-rank Arrancars Aizen had created would be responsible for her now.  
Confidently his hand sank deeper into the pockets of his Hakama and he kind of was curious how Aizen- sama was about to continue.

"At first, Ulquiorra", Aizen turned his head to look at the pale skinned Arrancar, "I am very confident with your work. For that fact it will be in your response to take care for the girl here in Las Noches. As far as I know you it won't be to difficult, will it."  
Ulquiorra felt like he was about to faint. He couldn't mean it, could he? If he hadn't a naturally calm mind he would have angrily yanked his hands out from his pockets and started quarrelling with a lot of gesture. But that simply wasn't his nature. So he just nodded to show his agreement and kept standing there, quiet and with an emotionless expression.

Aizen turned his head again and looked at the auburn haired girl.  
"Back to you, dear. At first I would like you to demonstrate why you are here."  
He raised his head and looked at Grimmjow who's eyes still looked somewhere else.

"I want you to heal Grimmjows lost arm", Aizen said and lay back confidently. Next to him Tosen was moving.  
"Are you sure, Lord Aizen. He's the one alway disobeying. It was a punishment to remove his arm. He doesn't deserve it and-", he stopped when Aizen glanced at him.  
With a voice as sweet as sugar he said: "If you'd wish to I can cut off your arm instead and we can let the girl fix it. If you think that would serve the punishment of Grimmjow. How's that?"  
Tosen moved to his old position without saying a single word. Aizen looked back at Orihime and Grimmjow. "Fine", he said and smiled,"Then show us how mighty you are, Orihime Inoue."  
Orihime felt heavy. She didn't want to help Aizen or the man who hurt Ichigo, in the end she came here to protect him, not to get him in more danger. She didn't move and was just standing there her gaze down on the floor.  
"What is it, Inoue- san?", Aizen said, as friendly as if she was his own daughter.

"I knew it!"

Suddenly a sharp voice was rising behind Orihime. She turned around and saw a small person, very thin with black hair, overlong sleeves and a strange hairpin. He had risen one sleeved arm and was pointing on her.

"I knew it! She can't! She simply can't!", the Arrancar with the long sleeves screamed.  
"Luppi...", Aizen glanced at him.  
"She can't restore his arm! It's not hurt, it was cut off, how could she!"  
The Arrancar named Luppi -Orihime recognized that she couldn't tell whether he was a girl or a boy- looked at her while he was wildly gesturing with his arms. His look was a bit crazy and gave him an ugly face.  
"Oi, bitch, admit it, your powers aren't that great!"  
Orihime felt offended. Even if she didn't want to help Aizen. On the one hand there was the fear he could harm her friends if she didn't, on the other hand there was this annoying little...creature yelling at her and blaming her for being incapable of using her own powers. She decided to prove him wrong.  
Confidently she stepped towards Grimmjow. For the first time he was rising his head and looked at her. His eyebrows were oddly angeled in over his eyes -they were nearly righted-  
and his expression was filled with a lot of anger.  
She stopped next to his arm lifting her hands forming some kind of triangle with her fingers and whispered "Sōten Kisshun" to release her healing powers.  
The two fairies covered Grimmjows lost arm with there orange shield and it slowly began to restore. As the blue haired Arrancar was seeing this his eyes widened and he looked as if his jaw would drop the next moment.  
As Orihime was done, the flappily hanging sleeve was refilled and Grimmjow was trying to move it, to make a first, turning his hand up and down. A smirk cam on his face.

Meanwhile Luppi's eyes nearly plopped out of his head.  
"YOU MONSTER!", he screamed and his voice nearly flipped over.

"How's that even possible!", confused he turned his head to Aizen who was calmly sitting on his throne, the head jacked by his right hand, a confident smile on his face.  
"Gahh!", Luppi screamed.  
"Oi, woman", Grimmjow, the former Sexta Espada, ignoring his successor's yelling and screaming, turned his back towards Orihime and pointed on the latter with his thumb.  
"Heal this too",he removed the bandages. Orihime was about to gasp. A big scar covered nearly his complete back. On the lower edge of the scar she could see something that seemed to once have been a tattoo.  
"Y...yes, sir."  
While they were talking Aizen watched them without saying a word. He seemed to be confident with how Orihimes powers worked, so confident that he even forgot to punish Luppi for his immature behavior.

Orihime lowered her hands. Now she could see what the tattoo on Grimmjows back once had been. It was a leaning 6.  
Grimmjows smirk has even grown bigger.  
"Sexta Espada Grimmjow Jeaggerjaquez is back!", he said with a powerful voice then his gaze met Luppi's.  
"And now to you..."  
Orihime squeaked and covered her eyes when Grimmjows hand punched right through Luppi's stomach. The wall behind the thin black haired Arrancar was befouled with blood and so was the floor around him.  
In the background Ulquiorra felt disguised. That was exactly the reason why he never got along with Grimmjow. This man simply had no control over his feelings. How pathetic.

When Orihime dared to open her eyes again she saw Luppi lying on the floor, covered in blood with his eyes wide open. He was groaning and suddenly Orihime felt responsible for his -or her – misery. With teary eyes she quickly walked towards him, when suddenly Ulquiorra sonidoed to her from the back of the hall just to return to his old place with Orihime on his side. Only a second later a red cannonball like thing shot towards Luppi and hit him directly. Ulquiorra covered Orihimes Eyes and mouth as she was about to star screaming. Tears ran down the fingers of the pale skinned Arrancar as they welled out from Orihimes eyes.

"Step back, woman", Ulquiorra said calmly. Orihime was still sobbing when she followed the Arrancars order and walked backwards till her back met the wall. Scared and panic she simply stood there not able to avert her gaze from Luppi's burnt body.


End file.
